The Royal National Theatre has surveyed over 800 people in the theatre world and has come up with a list of 188 writers and 377 plays which are considered the most significant of this century. From January 1999, they will stage about two extracts a week at 6 p.m., to illustrate the journey of 20th century theatre.

I scanned the list for Irish plays, with the narrowed vision of the Valley of the Squinting Windows, and came up with these names: J.M. Synge (The Playboy), Sean O'Casey (Juno), Samuel Beckett (Waiting for Godot), Brendan Behan (The Hostage), Frank Mc Guinness (Observe the Sons of Ulster . . .), Sebastian Barry (The Steward of Christendom), and Conor Mc Pherson (The Weir). Satisfyingly, they run from 1907 to 1997, and long may they run on.